Isthmus Picks Playlist: Sept. 27-Oct. 4

Enjoy a compilation of selected tracks by artists playing shows we're excited about in Madison this week. For more information on these shows, read on under the playlist or check out all this week's Isthmus Picks.

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Holly Near, Thursday, Sept. 27, Barrymore Theatre, 7:30 pm: We’re trying to use the words “legend” and “icon” less frequently, but c’mon, this is Holly Near. The pioneering folk artist and activist has been harnessing the power of music for social change since the 1970s, and has been at the forefront of anti-war and the LGTBQ movements from the beginning. Now the luminous singer/songwriter is here for a benefit for the local paragon of community change-making, the Goodman Community Center. Sit yourself down in a new seat at the historic venue and hear the real deal.

Ian Ethan Case, Thursday, Sept. 27, Arts + Literature Laboratory, 8 pm: A virtuoso on the double-necked guitar with jaw-dropping fingerpicking skills, this Boston-based musician had been composing and recording for more than a decade before he became a viral sensation on YouTube in 2015. His latest project, PORTALS, is a multimedia experience featuring synchronized projections and audio clips that blend virtual reality and live performance.

Joyann Parker Band, Friday, Sept. 28, North Street Cabaret, 8:30 pm: Parker has been called “a sober Janis Joplin,” and a “taller Shemekia Copeland.” Neither does justice to the best blues howler the Twin Cities have ever produced. She can swing like Etta James, but she can climb the scale like Aretha, too. Surrounded by a four-star band, Parker is an inventive pianist with a fluid, jazz-inflected style. She can also crush the blues guitar. Kudos to North Street Cabaret for this booking. The smallish room will explode this night.

Vacation, Saturday, Sept. 29, Mickey’s Tavern, 10 pm: Sometimes, one wonders how the front corner of Mickey’s doesn’t just disintegrate under the intense onslaught of some shows hosted there. This will be one of those times, with a triple bill of underground rock bands both intense and loud. Cincinnati quartet Vacation visits with this summer’s excellently spiky Mouth Sounds #2699, recorded at legendary Ultrasuede Studios before its unanticipated move across the river to Kentucky. Madison is more than ably represented by garage punkers Fire Heads, currently working up new material for their next album, and Rocket Bureau, a home studio power-pop recording project turned band led by songwriter-producer Kyle Motor.

The Evil Twins, Saturday, Sept. 29, Funk’s Pub, Fitchburg, 8 pm: Marques Bovre is no longer with us, but the music of one of Madison’s favorite singer-songwriters lives on. His former band The Evil Twins — Eric Dummer, Doug Meihsner, CJ Summerfield and Linus — is convening once again to celebrate Bovre’s songs and the music they made together.

Joe Nice,Saturday, Sept. 29, Robinia Courtyard, 10 pm: Baltimore native Joe Nice was playing dubstep at the turn of the century, before the genre really even had a name. Since then he’s kept the records spinning on turntables all around the world as one of the genre’s DJ ambassadors. With sets by Ternion Sound (Minneapolis dubstep vets Apparition, Johnny Foreplay and Nostalgia) and Madison producer 8Hertz.

Primus, Monday, Oct. 1, The Sylvee, 8 pm.: Funk-prog weirdos Primus bring material from their avant and bizarre album, The Desaturating Seven, to Madison. The loosely structured concept album is based off an Italian children’s book, and it’s a return to the roots for the San Francisco trio. “The Storm,” which clocks in at almost eight minutes, is more uncouth and unwieldy than anything Primus has released for awhile, but it’s captivating music. With Crown Lands.

The Decemberists, Tuesday, Oct. 2, The Sylvee, 8 pm: After nearly two decades cultivating a distinctive, whimsical indie-folk aesthetic and sound, The Decemberists decided to try something different with their eighth studio album, 2018’s I’ll Be Your Girl. They added synthesizers. Colin Meloy sings about mermaids. But they are still very good at what they do, and they hold a special place in the hearts of people who came of age in the early aughts. With Kacy & Clayton.

Death Cab for Cutie, Wednesday, Oct. 3, The Sylvee, 8 pm: Ben Gibbard and company may qualify as alt-rock graybeards at this point, but that doesn’t mean an old(ish) DCC can’t find new ways to twist their familiar emotional formula. Their latest disc, Thank You For Today, finds them twisting Gibbard’s vocals through lo-fi reverb effects and sampling Yoko Ono. Openers Charly Bliss, meanwhile, front a full-on blast of uber-delicious bubblegum grunge, powered by Eva Hendricks’ megawatt voice. Guppy, their debut album, was one of the best releases of 2017. Sold out.

Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears, Wednesday, Oct. 3, High Noon Saloon, 8 pm: Joe Lewis is a shouter in the tradition of Howlin’ Wolf and Wilson Pickett, and the Honeybears have three albums under their belt since they launched in Austin 10 years ago. The soul-funk-blues band’s latest release, Backlash, is more rock influenced. This will no doubt be a high-powered show that will appeal to fans of Madison’s fledgling Otis Redding tribute scene. With Vug Arakas.

David Liebe Hart, Wednesday, Oct. 3, Art In, 8:30 pm: From Adult Swim fame, David Liebe Hart is an uncanny puppeteer and outsider musician. His songs, like “Salame,” use improvised ventriloquism to sing ditties about polite alien greetings. One of David’s former puppets, the rapper Chip the Black Boy, opens, with help from human musician Jonah Mociun. Along with EDM band Whatever Your Heart Desires, and locals Wood Chickens and Meat Jelly.

St. Lucia, Thursday, Oct. 4, Barrymore Theatre, 8 pm: Jean-Philip Grobler’s synth-fueled stylings are a pure burst of soaring sonic adrenaline, harking back to the best and most unbridled sounds of the Me Decade. Put it this way: We’ll elevate with him and band-spouse Patti Beranek any time. Opener Now, Now, a Minnesota emo-pop duo, channels the fuzzy sound of the following decade, having downsized to two original members and refined their rootsy formula with ear-friendly hooks.

Sons of Kemet, Thursday, Oct. 4, UW Union South-The Sett, 8 pm: Jazz has always been cool. But a fresh new wave of artists is making it even cooler, and this London-based quartet is among the most interesting groups around. Led by saxophonist Shabaka Hutchings, their 2018 major label debut, Your Queen is a Reptile, is politically charged, rhythmically engaging and unapologetically Afrofuturist, drawing from hip-hop, Caribbean music and even British grime.

Murder by Death, Thursday, Oct. 4, High Noon Saloon, 8 pm: If you’ve ever wondered what Nick Cave would sound like if he came from America’s heartland, look no further than Murder by Death. Anchored by Adam Turla’s haunting baritone, the Bloomington, Indiana-based quintet exists at the crossroads of Americana and post-punk. Their songs are like campfire stories, otherworldly and evocative, with Turla serving as something of a spirit guide for listeners, grabbing hold of them vocally and not letting go until the last yarn has been spun. Their latest, The Other Shore, was released Aug. 24 on Bloodshot Records. With Mutts.